In the After

asked.
    “I saw you, before I came here.” I lowered my voice. “One was about to kill me, actually, before it was captured.” I didn’t tell them about being in a restricted area and seeing the Floraes being tortured.
    Both of them were quiet. Finally Marcus gave me an intense stare. “Listen, Amy, we keep the Floraes in a secure facility on the base. Most citizens of New Hope would not be comfortable to know they’re here.”
    “But you do study them?” I asked, wondering how much they would tell me.
    “Yes. We study them for a number of reasons. They’re crucial for perfecting our training techniques. We watch the way they move, how they react to prey. . . .”
    “You mean people.”
    “I mean any mammal.” He glowered at me. “What, do you think we feed bad children to the Floraes?”
    “No, of course not. I just wonder why you don’t know how they act in groups. . . .” I stopped, remembering that the Floraes I saw were kept alone, one to a room. “They’re too dangerous in groups,” I whispered.
    “We can only study one at a time,” Kay confirmed. “Otherwise we couldn’t contain them.”
    “But you go out, into the . . .” I was about to say “the After,” but I realized they wouldn’t know what I meant.
    “We go and collect supplies and the odd survivor. We have our hover-copters, our guns. We avoid places that are teeming with Floraes, unless our purpose is to capture one. Then we’re in and out.”
    “Then why all this training?” I asked.
    “In the Marines,” Marcus told me, “they push you to your limits and expose you to every imaginable horror. They gas you. They half drown you. You’re afraid, but it’s only training. The next time you’re not so afraid. You know what to expect.”
    “We can’t have Guardians freezing up the first time they encounter a Florae face-to-face,” Kay clarified. “We depend on each other, so everyone has to function. There’s no alternative.”
    “I get it,” I told them.
    “Shall we continue practice?” Kay yelled, loud enough for the others to hear.
    “Can I be a Florae this time?” I asked hopefully.
    “Not until you’re a real Guardian, sunshine.” Kay smiled wickedly. I pulled my hood back on and made a face she couldn’t see before walking back to the practice mat. Then I took extra pleasure in pretend-killing Nick and for-real elbowing Rob in the face. It didn’t even matter that in the end I was, once again, the loser. You just couldn’t win against the Floraes.

    After several hours, I stepped out of the Rumble Room, exhausted from my training session. That’s why I didn’t see him until he called my name.
    “Amy?”
    I turned to find Dr. Reynolds watching me, a strange smile on his lips. “I wasn’t aware you had clearance to be inside a restricted area.”
    “I . . .” I froze, lost for words. Thankfully Gareth was next out the door. He took in Dr. Reynolds and me with my mouth hanging open like an idiot.
    “Thanks again, Amy,” he said quickly. He was wearing civilian clothes, jeans and a T-shirt. He looked so different from when he was in his synth-suit—much less intimidating, and even with his almost completely gray hair, much younger.
    “Yeah . . . no problem,” I responded slowly, still frozen in place.
    “Dr. Reynolds.” Gareth nodded at him pleasantly. “What brings you out our way?”
    “I just wanted to observe the Guardians in training, but I suppose I’m too late,” he said, the same eerie smile surfacing again. “Your psyche-evals are coming up soon.”
    “Again? It’s been six months already?” Gareth asked. “Seems like my head was just shrunk last week.”
    Dr. Reynolds chuckled. “Well, let’s just hope you’ve solved some of your relationship issues.”
    Gareth grimaced. He’d mentioned to me he’d recently broken up with his boyfriend, but didn’t go into details. It must have ended badly. I could tell Dr. Reynolds’s comment cut him deeply.
    Dr. Reynolds turned his gaze back to me. “Amy . . .”
    “Amy was invited here by Kay,” Gareth said irritably, no longer pretending to be friendly. “She was telling us more about her experiences with the Floraes in the field. She’s an invaluable resource.”
    “I’m sure she is.” He studied my face. “In fact, I hear you’ve been talking quite a lot about the Floraes.” My blood turned to ice.
    “Yes.” My voice cracked and I swallowed before trying to speak again. “I was trying to prepare